Morning Song
by alittlenutjob
Summary: Established DannyxMindy fluff for Operation: Tonic Water. It took me an age to complete for I am apparently not a fluffy person, but I hope you enjoy it. As always I own nothing and write with the greatest respect for the creators. Music: Jewel, Morning Song (because why, not?)


"Stop it, go back to bed," Danny croaked sleepily as soft lips on his ear and the scent of lavender pulled him from slumber. "It's Sunday."

He'd always assumed Mindy was the kind of person who was very, very hard to wake up. It was probably a stupid assumption when he considered how cheery she usually was in the morning, but until that first night she spent in his bed he'd now idea how wrong he'd been.

It wasn't the last time he was wrong about her, but thankfully she'd forgiven him for that awful night and now he woke up every morning with a kiss. Or more accurately a shower of kisses.

"I know it's Sunday, Danny." She nuzzled his neck, her hair tickling his jaw.

"Let me sleep in."

"How am I the early riser in this relationship?"

"I honestly do not know." Danny turned over with a little groan to face her. He couldn't keep his eyes open, but he felt her curling against him, basically nestling in as the little spoon. He reached for her, pulling her tight against him. There were many times in his life when he wished he was a taller guy, but the way they fit together when he held her made him absolutely certain he was made this way for a reason. He started to fall back to sleep when he felt her take his hand and kiss each knuckle individually, then his fingertips. It should have tickled but it didn't and he smiled. "I'm up. I'm up."

"You don't have to get up. I can stay still," she whispered apologetically.

Danny chuckled. "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it."

"I can."

He kissed her shoulder. "You want me to make you breakfast?"

"No."

"No?"

"Well, I do."

Danny started to shift and stretch, but as he flipped the blanket off himself he felt her hand on his arm. "Not right now, though," she murmured.

"Oh?" he smiled suggestively.

"Not that, you perv!" Mindy looked a little indignant, but a little smile curled her lips all the same. "I just wanted to see you. I'm on call, I could have to run at at moment."

"You see me all day every day."

"I guess."

"Min, what's going on?"

"Nothing. Just stay in be with me a little while longer."

"Okay. I can do that." He pulled the blanket back up and bunched up his pillow so he could lay on his side, meeting her eyes as she turned toward him.

"You're getting grey eyebrow hair, you know." She reached up and cupped his face, forefinger gently caressing his brow.

"I am not."

"You are too. I can see one right now."

"Sorry."

Mindy smiled. "No. I like it."

"You do?"

"Yeah. It makes you look distinguished, like George Clooney. Everyone will think I'm your hot trophy wife."

"Glad I could help," he said sarcastically.

"They'll be like 'Why's she with him?' but then they'll see your silver foxiness and it will be clear that I'm just a gold digger waiting out my reward."

"Hey!"

"I'm kidding. I do like it though."

"Okay."

"Danny... did you ever think that it would be like this?"

"Waking up with you? No, I figured you'd be the kind of girl who got up and did her makeup and then got back into bed."

"I used to be," she said thoughtfully. "I mean though, when you were with other women, was it like this?"

He still didn't know what she was getting at, but it didn't matter, she was right. He cupped her cheek and traced her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb. "No, it wasn't."

"I just... I used to be the one who slept in, honestly. I am so excited to wake you up and talk to you. I didn't have that before."

"And I'd never been kissed awake."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I missed it. When we..."

A little sadness touched her expression. "Me too."

"It's like living with a puppy."

"Hey!"

"I'm teasing you." He turned his head and kissed her palm where she'd been stroking his eyebrow. A little movement caught his eye. "Mindy I can see you reaching for your phone."

"I want to take a picture of this so I'll remember."

"What's to remember? I'll get more grey eyebrows."

"Not just the eyebrows. All of it. Your messy hair, your lips, the way you squint at the sunlight. The way you smell."

"How is a picture going to smell?"

"It won't, but I'll be able to look at it and I'll remember."

He brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Hey, you don't have to remember it. I will be smelly tomorrow."

"You're not smelly. You smell good. You smell like Danny."

"Okay, then I'll smell like me tomorrow."

"It might not be sunny tomorrow."

"I'll smell like me next week or the week after or whenever it's sunny."

"But your hair won't be the same."

"I'll get it cut. Or I'll let it grow out. Whatever you want."

"I want to take the picture."

"Fine, take a picture." he relented.

The phone was already in her hand before he finished his sentence. She began with pictures of him, then scooted closer to take a couple of them together, making happy chirpy noises that made him smile.

"Okay, that's enough." He closed his hand over hers and took the phone. He gently put the phone down on his nightstand and turned back to her, pulling her into an embrace. "A picture isn't the same as this."

In a small voice she replied, "I've never had any problem remembering how it feels when you hold me."

He pulled away a little and saw her eyes had gone a little misty. "Me either."

"Promise me you'll never do it again."

"I will NEVER do it again." He kissed her softly. "I promise. I promise I promise," he whispered, each promise punctuated with another kiss to her jaw, her throat, her lips.

"How does your beard grow so fast? You're scratchy."

"Sorry."

"Please stop saying you're sorry for things you are. You can be sorry about things you do, and you probably should be sorry about some things you do," she said with a little smile. "But don't apologize for what you are. I like what you are."

"You like the scratchiness?"

"I do."

"You like the grey hairs?"

"I really do." She kissed his brow.

"You do remember my Dad's eyebrows, right? It's only gonna get worse."

"I know. I can't wait," she said with a low chuckle.

"What about the sweatiness?" he asked skeptically.

"I love it."

"You like it?"

"Don't do that. I said I love it. I mean it. It's part of you and I love you."

He buried his face in her hair. "I love you too, Min." He ran his hand down her back and rested his fingertips on the warm skin of her lower back, unintentionally bared by her scrunched up tee shirt.

"You're not sneaky, Castellano."

"Can't blame a guy for trying." One corner of his mouth turned up in a half-smile. He moved his hand away and felt cold metal brush his knuckles. He wrapped his fingers around whatever it was and held it up to examine it. "Why is there a spoon in my bed?"

"It's for the peanut butter."

"What peanut butter? Is there something you want to..."

"Okay, first of all, you are such a perv. Secondly, you're one to talk. I haven't forgotten what Amy said about melted chocolate. And finally, peanut butter is a healthy snack, relatively speaking."

"Relative to Oreos? And why do you need to snack in my bed?"

"Hey, peanut butter is an excellent post-workout snack." She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"Now who's the perv?"

"Art nudes," she whispered.

"Sex tape," he replied.

She pouted briefly, then grinned. "So we're both...liberated."

Danny sighed. "I'm starting feel like I should go to confession. There's probably time to get ready for morning Mass, you wanna go to Mass with me?"

"You want me to go to church with you?"

"Mass. And only if you want to."

"It's awfully early, Danny."

"You're the one who woke me up!"

"Do they do a night version or something?"

"Yeah, we could go Latin Mass later."

"Latin? That's cool. I could do that. It'll be like listening to the elves in Lord of the Rings talk."

"That's offensive."

"I'll respect your elves if you'll respect my giant elephant."

He couldn't help but smile as he leaned in to kiss her. She had him there. If she knew he had a copy of Hinduism for Dummies stowed in his desk at work she'd probably tease him mercilessly, but he was going to surprise her yet. "Deal."

She reached behind her and pulled out a jar of peanut butter. "Here."

"What's this for?"

"Let's give you something to confess."

"That's not how it works."

Mindy opened her mouth to respond when her beeper went off on the nightstand. "Damnit."

Danny leaned back against the pillows and watched her rush around, hopping as she pulled her shoes on. "I'm sorry I didn't get to make you breakfast."

"Me too." She leaned down to kiss him one last time before she left. "What time?"

"What time is what?"

"What time is Mass?"

"Uh, 6:30." His brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Text me the address, I'll meet you there." She pulled her hair into a hasty ponytail.

"Really?"

"Really."

Sometimes she could surprise him too.

* * *

**Notes: This came from a tumblr prompt from 1professionalfangirl. Established DannyxMindy fluff for Operation: Tonic Water. It took me an age to complete for I am apparently not a fluffy person, but I hope you enjoy it. As always I own nothing and write with the greatest respect for the creators.**  
Music: Jewel, Morning Song (because why, not?)


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